


And Someone Leads the Beast In On it’s Chain

by quietbun



Category: New Mutants, X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Terminators
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Teenage Drama, Timeline Tweaking, X-Factor, X-Terminators - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 03:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14685513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietbun/pseuds/quietbun
Summary: An Alternate universe based on the 80's comics X-Factor and the miniseries X-Terminators where Shatterstar is introduced to the team just a little earlier. Saved from Mojoworld by the original X-Factor team he joins their growing group of teenage wards and is enrolled into private school with them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based around X-Factor Vol 1. and the miniseries X-Terminators, just before Inferno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter would take place just before X-Terminators #1 (The lead up mini-series to Inferno) but it isn't required reading.

Hank Mccoy awoke to the horrible sounds of what must be something truly grisly,  and he peered into the murky darkness to see what horrors awaited. The room where he was being held was illuminated only by the flashing, colorful light of the screens that covered the walls like wallpaper.  He was startled backward when a  _ person _ bolted to his cell door with wild looking eyes.  The person, a boy, Hank decided couldn’t be much older than 15 or 16,  but he was still incredibly tall and muscular, standing almost a foot taller than Hank himself. No doubt a result of the genetic modification Mojo was so fond of.  

 

“I am Shatterstar.” He informed Hank in short, practiced English. “I will free you on the condition that you take me as well.”  He stared at him intently until Hank realized that wasn’t rhetorical.

“Of course! Quite understandable why you would not wish to remain here any longer.”

 

With a sharp nod he quickly unlocked the cell door using the key he must have acquired from their guard. At first Hank thought the boy was wearing red, elbow length gloves of some kind, but upon closer inspection he realized it was actually  _ blood _ and grimaced as he left bloody hand prints on everything he touched. He had a strikingly face, marred only by a large brand that marred his face in the shape of a black eight-pointed star, and a massive ponytail of scalet red hair.

 

“You are X-men?” Shatterstar questioned while he unlocked the mechanisms that kept Hank’s hands and feet bound. 

“Well technically X-Factor now, but yes indeed. Hank Mccoy, also known as the Beast, at your service.”

“I have seen your video reels. You are heroes. I knew you would be the key to my escape.” He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that last part more than anything else but Hank nodded encouragingly, rubbing his sore wrists where the device had rubbed them hairless and raw. 

They stepped over what perhaps could have once been considered a guard on their way to the next holding chamber where hopefully they would find the rest of X-Factor, and Hank’s stomach felt weak for a moment at the sight. Shatterstar must have torn the guard apart with his bare hands, that would certainly explain the viscera the colored his starch white uniform.  To perform such a feat his strength must be enhanced to a violent extreme, and Beast was suddenly incredibly grateful that they were getting out before he had to face a being such as Shatterstar in Mojo’s twisted Slaughter Games.

Before they left the room Shatterstar gave Hank a rather strange looking emblem that would apparently make him invisible to cameras. This, he was told, was vital since every inch of every second was recorded in Mojoworld, and if they were to stand a chance they could not be detected. 

They found Cyclops in the next room, and Bobby, Jean and Archangel from there, all in varying states of bound and restrained. Shatterstar gave each of them the cloaking technology as they were freed, and explained that it had been made by studying the X-Men of a different time many seasons ago when Hank questioned the science behind it. 

“They have not installed Inhibitors into your systems yet, this is good. It means you have a chance.”  Shatterstar nodded, quickly inspecting all five of them for… something.

“You mean those collars they put on us to keep our powers down weren’t Inhibitors? What the heck are they then?” Bobby asked

Shatterstar demonstrated simply by brushing his wild mane of crimson hair aside to reveal a set of metal barbells pierced into the back of his neck.  

“They are connected to your spine column and shock you when you are not good or will not fight.” He said simply and Jean gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hands. “There are two more that are supposed to attach to your,” he tapped his shoulder muscles, and made a pinching gesture through it. “but I ripped them out.” 

“How do we get it out?”

“We don’t have time… Because of this we cannot escape through the—“ he paused, brows furrowing as he searched for the word. 

“Door?” Cyclops helpfully provided and he nodded. 

“So how the hell are we supposed to get out of here. I understand that you saved us, but if there isn’t any other way out…” Warren started but Shatterstar quickly shook his head, cutting him off.

“No. No, there is another way out. I am like you. I am a… Different.”

“A mutant?”

“Yes! I open  _ tears _ .”

“Tears?”

“Yes. Tears to other places… But I need my swords.”

“And you can get us out of here with them?”

“Yes. I can get you back to earth. To your time.”

“Well that sounds good enough for me.” 

  
  


Shatterstar knew  _ where _ his swords were kept, or at least that’s what he told them, but he got them lost several times and it became pretty clear that he wasn’t the best at directions.  Eventually after a good couple of hours spent wandering around the labyrinthian halls of the arena underground they found the “Dressing Room” and after a short scuffle with some random guards Shatterstar had his swords back in his now even more blood-soaked hands. 

  
  


“Picture  _ home _ .” Shatterstar instructed Jean, as he seemed to have taken a liking to her, perhaps it was the red hair they both shared, and that similarity translated into a familiarity that they others didn’t. “Picture home and I will bring you there.” 

He adjusted his grip on his swords, took a deep breath before savagely slashing forward into the open air with the blades and  _ tearing  _ an X-shaped hole into the space in front of him and on the other side of it was the softly lit interior of  _ Ship _ .

“Wow he actually did it!” Bobby gaped, before Archangel was grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him through the portal.  There was no telling how long Shatterstar could maintain it, and the others quickly followed suit until the only one left was Shatterstar, standing frozen to the ground, his eyes wide.

“Come on! Hurry!” Jean called out to him, and terror was written clearly on his face.  For a moment it looked like he wasn't going to make it, but just as the portal began to fray and fall apart he surged through, only to collapsed at their feet, unconscious.

  
  
  


“ _ Jesus Fuckign Christ!!! _ ” Boom Boom exclaimed loudly when the five members of X-Factor just suddenly  _ appeared _ in the living room of Ship with some  _ random guy  _ bleeding all over their floor. 

“Oh my god!”

“Chirst!”

“ _ Madre de dios _ ! is he bleeding?”

“That’s a lot of blood!”

“I am  _ not _ cleaning that!!”

“Rusty get the first aid kit!”

“Don’t. It’s not his.” Archangel cut in with a clipped tone,  walking through the throng of excitable teenagers and going off to brood on the roof or whatever it was Archangel did. They all stared down at the now unconscious Mojoworlder before Boom Boom demanded “ _ What the fuck _ ?!” of the adults. 

 

They explained that they had been taken by Mojo, a recurring multidimensional douchebag that the X-Men had encountered before, to compete in his “Slaughter Games”. Thankfully Shatterstar, the guy who was now sleeping away in the med bay, had saved them.

 

“He looks like some kind of model or something.” Boom Boom observed, leaning over the medical bed to get a closer look, and Rictor rolled his eyes at her.

“Yeah for hair care products. Seriously, get a load of that mane.”

“I think the color is  _ gorgeous. _ ” Sally said softly. 

All six of them, Artie and Leech included, were gathered in the Med Bay while Beast ran his tests on Shatterstar, seeing as Shatterstar was the most exciting thing to happen all day. Beast assumed, rightly so, that they would undoubtedly get bored of the spectacle and return to what they were doing previously, but right now however the teens were excited to speculate on who and what he was like. 

 

“I bet he’s like. A super lame-o, dweeb.” Boom Boom postulated, grinning as she pulled up on one of his eyelids with a finger and laughed, making fun of both Shatterstar and Beast at the same time in what would surely be a comical combo if they were in a video game. It was almost impressive how often she managed similar feats of mockery.

“No way! I bet he’s like, a total sweetheart. A gentle giant ya know?” Skids insisted, smiling fondly at the sleeping boy.

“He’s  _ probably  _ a totally self centered dickwad. No one I’ve ever met who’s that good looking is ever a good person too.” Rictor huffed in a very Rictor like way, and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Rusty remained quiet, watching Beast instead of the catatonic Shatterstar. “How old is he?” He asked, something none of the other new mutants had thought to ask.

“By my guess I would say about 16. But he was artificially force-grown at such a rate it’s difficult to tell. The normal markers for age are completely off, it’s fascinating.”

“That’s so sad… He’s so young.”

“So are we! and you don’t see no one throwin’ us any pity parties so save the waterworks Blevins.” Boom Boom grumped.

“Oh, I thought that was what you kids got up to every day while we were out.” Hank quipped lightly, smiling to himself as Boom Boom turned on her heel with an offended gasp.

“Oh,  _ Ha - Ha!! _ Great joke Hank! you’re a real class A comedian, I don’t even know why you bother with this hero shtick when it's  _ clear _ you have another calling.”

“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea.” Hank chuckled. “Now I need you kids to help keep an eye on our new friend while he rests. It appears the teleportation power he used to return us here to earth has taken it quite out of him, but when he wakes up I would like at least one of you to be there. You can take turns watching him and treat it like your other chores.”

“Why can’t you watch him? You’re the ones who decided to bring him here, like, not us.”

“The X-Factor is making a public appearance at CNN tomorrow if you’ll remember. Being kidnapped by an inter-dimensional, spineless warlord doesn’t save you from responsibilities it seems, and I would like to compare some of these readings to those taken by the X-Men of their Longshot. He originated from Mojoworld as well if I remember.”

“Ugh! This sucks!”

“And remember just like any of your other chores, skipping out means loss of television time and other privileges.”

They all groaned in unison. 

  
  
  


It was Rictor’s turn to watch Shatterstar sleep, which was a lot less creepy than it sounded, and he was  _ trying _ to read his book, but Boom Boom had also decided that she had nothing better to do..

“Great, we went from babysitting real babies to babysitting dead guys.”

“He’s not dead Boom Boom.”

“You sure?”

“…Yeah.”

“I dunno Ric, he hasn’t even  _ moved. _ I’m like, pretty sure he’s dead.”

“He’s breathing!”

“So?”

“Usually if someone is breathing he isn’t dead, dummy.”

“Pshaw, shows what you know.”

“I’m  _ pretty sure _ on this one Tabitha.” Rictor retorted,  _ trying  _ to go back to his book futilely but Tabitha was having none of this. 

“Ugh! This is like, so boring.”

“So go find something entertaining, it’s my turn to watch this guy, you don’t gotta.” He muttered, and she aptly stuck her tongue out in response, throwing herself down onto the chair next to him. 

“He’s like, really pretty isn’t he? Like for an alien.” She observed, tracing the star on his face with a finger.

“Pft, how would I know, he’s a  _ guy _ .”

“Well yeah, but he doesn’t  _ look like one.  _ Like seriously, his eyelashes are thicker than mine! Besides you were the one going on about how good looking he was earlier. Whats it matter if he’s a guy or not?”

Rictor narrowed his eyes at her before looking down at the sleeping Mojoworlder and had to admit he was  _ beautiful _ . For a guy. He had thick, dark eyelashes like a girl, and cheekbones sharp enough to cut yourself on them. And somehow the star mark on his face only worked to accentuate his strange, otherworldly beauty. And sleeping like this he looked so  _ serene,  _ and like… well, a model. 

“Okay yeah, he’s pretty. What’s your point?” He grudgingly admitted, glaring at Boom Boom and preparing himself for mockery that was surely about to ensue. Instinctually assuming that this was some kind of  _ test _ , and admitting that he thought this other man was beautiful must be the wrong answer. Instead of whatever Rictor was expecting Tabitha grinned mischievously.

“ _ Well _ …” and she procured some makeup from her purse. “Since he’s so pretty we might as well give him some makeup to accentuate that  _ natural beauty. _ ” Rictor blinked in surprise before laughing out loud. 

Served him right for thinking he knew what was going on in Boom Boom’s head. Just when he thought he had her figured out she would shake things up, and that’s supposed to be his job.

He couldn’t deny that he had a fun time coloring on the boy’s face in blush and eyeshadow in the garish colors Boom Boom wore herself with Tabitha. She even went as far as to  _ sign her name _ on his unmarked cheek in eyeliner, complete with a little doodle of a bomb, creating quite the picture. 

“Perfect!” She declared, capping the eyeliner pencil, but before Ric could return her lipstick that he had been intentionally poorly applying pale eyes snapped open and a fast as lightning a hand shot up and grabbed his wrist with the enough force to make him cry out.

“ _ Shit _ !!!” Tabitha yelped, jumping back and dropping her makeup, sending it clattering to the ground.  

“ _ Jesus _ !!” Rictor echoed the sentiment, trying to pull away but holy fuck the X-factor hadn’t been kidding when they said this guy was strong. 

The now awake Shatterstar rapidly looked from Rictor to Boom Boom to the new, and unfamiliar environment and lunged for a pair of scissors that had been laid out and holding them threateningly to Rictor’s throat. Ric swallowed hard, the blades pressed sharply to his adams apple.

“Where am I? Who are you? Is this a new program? Mojo’s new show?” He demanded, rapid fire, in a surprisingly soft and melodic voice. 

“Jesus Christ dude!! Put the scissors down! We’re like, here to help you!” Tabitha shouted, a time bomb already glowing brightly in her hand. Rictor suddenly wished anyone  _ but _ Tabitha had been with him right now. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but with a crazy alien holding essentially a knife to his throat with Tabitha responsible for talking him down, well Rictor wasn’t overly optimistic about his chances.  _ Glass beakers on the walls began to rattle. _

“We’re with X-Factor!” Tabitha insists, clearly trying her best not to freak out and just blow the place to hell. “They told us to keep watch over you while you woke up. You just like passed out!”

Shatterstar narrowed his eyes at her, unconvinced. “I have never seen either of you on the vids.” The shaking, even inside of ship, was growing more and more noticeable as Rictor tried to think of another way out of this.

“We’re not a part of the actual team idiot!!! We’re like, their wards. We’re a bunch of kids that the rescued just like you!”

“I rescued them.”

“Yeah sure whatever. We were just doing what we were told to. Can you like put the scissors down now crazy!!”

“Where is the X-Factor? I wish to speak to them now.”

“Scissors. Down. Now. X-Factor. After.” 

 

With a snarl of annoyance he released Rictor, pushing him away and standing at his full height, towering over both of them in nothing but a hospital gown. “Where are my swords? My uniform?! Have you taken them!” Boom Boom made a point to get herself between Rictor and this lunatic and poked him hard in the chest.

“You seriously need to chill out! We’re helping you! Your swords are right over there!” She indicated the corner of the room where the dual bladed weapons were resting against the wall. “And we had to toss your uniform ‘cause it was like, ruined. Hows that for gratitude!” 

He looked once more from Boom Boom to Rictor, who was nursing his bruised wrist and took a slow, controlled breath. 

“You are right. I have behaved dishonorably. You do not seem to be lying, I am just not used to such a strange environment and I paniced.” He bowed, full and low, his wild red hair brushing the fucking floor with how deep he bowed. “Forgive me. I acted rashly. It will not happen again. Please take me to X-Factor so that I may discuss important things with them.”

And as if on cue Iceman burst through the door, ice form and all. “What’s going on in here?! Ship is shaking like a jar full of bees!” He noticed Shatterstar, now standing and it was pretty easy to assume what had happened. “Oh god this is a mess. Uh, let me go get the rest of the team. Boom Boom, Ric, you okay?”

“I will be once you get this maniac out of here! He almost broke my fucking hand!” Rictor snapped, shouldering past Iceman angrily and outside of the medical bay.

“It was not my intention I assure you!” Shatterstar tried, starting after Rictor desperately but Iceman stopped him. 

“Hey, Shatterstar. Lets uh, focus on this right now. Rictor will be okay, he's just freaked out. You must have scared him pretty bad. Let’s go find the rest of the team and talk about what we should do from here.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is confusing and emotions are hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Factor would be more accurately named "Asshole-Factor" and No One is more goth than Archangel.

Shatterstar trailed behind the Iceman quietly, holding his swords close to his chest and looking around the interior of Ship with wonder. It was so clean and quiet here, even the sounds of the city below were lost and Shatterstar’s ears rang and his head ached under the vastness of this silence. On Mojoworld there was never a quiet moment, there was always ear shattering music and 12 different TVs playing hundreds of different programs at any time. Even in the slave pens there were screens so show them what was taking place in the area above.

This new world and it’s quiet would surly drive him mad, he had no doubt, so he was grateful when Iceman began to speak. “We should probably get you some clothes so you’re not just wandering around in that. I don’t think any of my clothes will fit you, but I’m sure Warren won’t mind if you borrow some.” and with that he let himself into the Archangel’s room. 

It was sparsely decorated, hardly any furniture and almost nothing as far as personal items to indicate the room was lived in. But there was clothing in the dressers and closet. “All his clothes have holes in the back for his ya know, wings, so you’re just gonna have to deal with that.” At the Iceman’s insistence Shatterstar stepped into the bathroom to dress himself in the borrowed clothing. 

The door closed with a soft click, and when Shatterstar looked at himself in the mirror he was surprised to see his face colored in a manner similar to what he would wear in the arena. His stomach knotted up instinctually and perhaps more violently the necessary he scrubbed his face clean. 

The shirt fit his slender frame, and the underwear was very soft, but the pants the Iceman had handed him did not even make it all the way up his legs and he re-emerged looking apologetic. 

“They do not fit…” He was expecting a punishment for not fitting into his costume but the Iceman just laughed. 

“Oh hey you got your face cleaned up! That's good. Sorry about Boom Boom, but trust me I’ve been there. It’s alright don’t worry about it! Heh, we’ll have to get you some specially tailored clothes ASAP, huh? But uh, for now I guess you can wear these workout shorts. They might be a bit short though, is that okay?”

“Yes that is acceptable.” It was strange being asked for his opinion on things, but he appreciated it.

 

After he was properly clothed, at least for the moment, Shatterstar followed Iceman to a conference room of some sort where the rest of X-Factor was seated around a table. Archangel scowled when they walked in, immediately recognizing the clothing.

“Is that my shirt?” He demanded, and for a second Shatterstar readied himself for a fight. Iceman had said it would be okay, but clearly that had been a trick. The first thing he would have to do was to remove Archangel’s metal wings— 

“Nothing else would fit him. It’s fine you have more clothes than god. And you don’t even wear them anymore. All you wear is your uniform.” Iceman cut in, laughing Archangel’s irritation off.

“A beast does not wear a mans clothes.” Archangel said darkly, referring to himself but to which Beast, as in Hank Mccoy replied, “I take offense to that.” And Archangel’s scowl grew deeper. 

“What happened to the uniform he was wearing?”

“It was covered in blood!”

“So you got rid of it?”

“There was so much blood! Like  _ so _ much, and guts and it was just super nasty. You’re welcome to go fish it out of the trash if you want to clean it though.”

“Whatever.” 

Clearly Shatterstar had misread the situation and he furrowed his brows in confusion. Humans were strange and this place was even stranger. But anything was better than Mojoworld.

 

“Glad to see you up and about again!” Cyclops greeted him, pulling out a chair and gesturing for him to sit at it. He did so, eyeing the accompanying mutants uncertainty.

“We owe you a significant debt young man, without you I don’t know how we would have gotten out of there.” The Beast said warmly, clapping a furry hand on Shatterstar’s back, causing him to flinch. 

“We would have figured something out.” Archangel muttered darkly.

“Just because we have in the past doesn’t mean we would have.” Cyclops chided, and then turning back to Shatterstar. “Now that you’re on earth do you have something in mind for what you’re going to do? You sounded pretty intent on coming here.”

Shatterstar watched them interact closely, and remained quiet for a long time before finally admitting; “I just wanted to get away.” 

“Of course. Well in that case you’re welcome to stay here on Ship with us. You met Boom Boom and Rictor already I’m told, they’re just a couple of our wards, mutants like you who we rescued from bad situations. Right now there are six of them, and with you that would make seven.”

“If I may, what… Is this place?” Shatterstar had to ask. He had felt a strange presence ever since he woke up here, and it was even more unsettling than the quiet.

“This is Ship. Ship, say hi.”

**“Hello Shatterstar. I am Ship. Welcome.”**

The new voice made him jolt in fear, jumping to his feet and searching wildly for the source of it, swords in hand. 

“Whoa hey it’s okay! That’s Ship! It’s the ship we’re on right now, it’s sentient.” Sentient space ships? This world truly was bizarre, but not seeing any danger Shatterstar sat back down slowly. 

**“X-Factor rescued me just like they rescued you, and it is my responsibility to take care of everyone here and keep non-mutants out.”** The mechanical voice added, and once again the unexpected noise caused Shatterstar to startle. He did not like this.

“Ship protects us, so you’ll be safe here.”

“I doubt there is anything on this earth that could threaten me.” Shatterstar replied with surprising confidence for how jumpy he had been acting.

“I think you’d be surprised.” Marvel Girl mused lightly. “So what do you say? Will you stay with us? If not I’m sure we could help set you up somewhere else but we would love it if you stayed.” She spoke with a kindness that unbalanced Shatterstar. She had incredible warmth about her that he couldn’t help but want to stay near.

“…Alright.” It didn’t seem another prison, and if he had to he was sure he could get away from just these five. However intimidating they may seem.

“Wonderful! I’ll call in the kids and we can give you a proper introduction. Ship will you page them for me?” Cyclops beamed.

**“Certainly.”**

  
  
  
  


The first newcomer to arrive was a blonde girl, different from the loud one he had met before, who wore a bright colored hat and patterned leggings, accompanied by a red headed man. 

“Whats going on? Oh! You’re awake!” The girl smiled brightly, and as she got closer Shatterstar noticed a strange distortion in the air around her. And behind them Rictor and Boom Boom made a reappearance, this time accompanied by two strange colored children.

“Hey, thanks for coming guys, I appreciate it. Rictor, Boom Boom, you’ve already met Shatterstar—”

“Yeah, he makes a great first impression.” Boom Boom muttered.

“And you guys did such a good job yourself, drawing on his face while he was sleeping.” Iceman retorted, one eyebrow raised pointedly.

“Are you kidding? He tried to fucking kill me!”

“And I can’t say I blame him.” 

 

Shatterstar did regret his actions, but he had already apologized so there was nothing else he could do. He watched this new group of people carefully, observing how they held themselves and the way they interacted with each other. They all seemed close to his age, except for the colorful ones, and according the the X-Factor they were all mutants like him. It was strange. On Mojoworld his mutation had been a closely kept secret, and if it was discovered it would be exploited for the entertainment of the Spineless Ones or he would be killed for it, but here mutation seemed to be the norm. He didn’t know how to react to that. 

 

“As I was saying. You guys know him, but he doesn’t know you. Shatterstar I’d like you to meet Rusty Collins, Sally Blevins or Skids, Julio Richter aka Rictor, Tabitha Smith slash Boom Boom, Artie Maddox, and Leech.”

“I am Shatterstar of The Cadre Alliance.” He responded, bowing once more while Boom Boom rolled her eyes. The pink, lumpy child manifest a picture of a waving hand above himself and shatterstar waved curtly in response. 

“He’s going to be living with us for the foreseeable future so I expect you all to be mature and welcoming. Which means no more pranks,  _ Boom Boom. _ ” Cyclops said pointedly.

“Hey, don’t look at me. That guy broke Rictor’s fucking arm he’s crazy. I don’t fuck with that.”

“Both Jean and Hank looked at Rictor’s arm, and decided it was  _ not _ broken.”

“Yeah but it’s bruised as shit!”

“But decidedly  _ not _ broken. You should really stop embellishing your stories Tabitha, it makes you seem less credible.” Beast mused and she rolled her eyes again. 

“ _ Riiiiight.  _ I’ll really have to work on that one.”

“ _ Anyways _ .” Cyclops cut in before the conversation could devolve any further. “Rictor, we set up Shatterstar in the room across the hall from you, could you show him there?” And the way he said it it was very clear he knew exactly how much Rictor disliked this idea.

“Oh fuck you man.” In what Shatterstar assumed was a refusal as he stomped to the door, but when he got there he looked over his shoulder and huffed. “Are you coming or what?” Shatterstar looked to Cyclops for his approval to leave, before realizing he didn’t have to and quickly grabbed his swords and followed Julio.

 

Julio was silent as they walked down the halls of the massive spaceship, and the only sound that could be heard was his footsteps and Shatterstar’s bare feet on the floor. It was clear that he was still upset over what had happened in the medical bay, and the echoing silence was anxiety causing, so Shatterstar tried to speak to him once more.

 

“It was not my intention to hurt you. I was caught by surprise and you were touching my face. It was unexpected.”

“Oh yeah? Then what was your intention when you fucking held a pair of scissors to my fucking neck?”

“…I see your point. In the moment I did intend you harm, but had I known you were an ally I would not have acted in such a way.”

“Wow, that makes me feel soooo much better. Thanks.” This was proving more difficult that Shatterstar had anticipated.

“I apologized, I do not know what else you expect me to do…”

“Just fucking,  _ I don’t know _ , leave me the hell alone? Seriously dude just give it a break. You almost broke my arm, so you can’t just expect me to be all buddy buddy fine with you just cause you apologized. 

“Oh… I see.” 

“And could you seriously not find a pair of normal fucking pants that weren’t booty shorts? Have some common fucking decency!!” Julio snapped out of nowhere, and Shatterstar raised his eyebrows in confusion, looking down curiously at his legs. There were acres of bare skin between the hem of the borrowed shorts and the floor, but he didn’t see why that was a problem.

“Nothing else fit.” 

Rictor made a tortured noise in response and dragged his hands down his face, behaving very strangely in Shatterstar’s opinion. Apparently they had a strange complex with nudity, from insisting Shatterstar wore clothes and now criticizing the clothes as too revealing. He didn’t understand. On Mojoworld nudity was commonplace, their forms had been created to be seen and mocked by the onlooking Spineless Ones, disgusted by how different their creations were and the way they moved, and often had them preform naked to create even more of a spectacle. It was normal there, but apparently not here. It was just another thing to learn Shatterstar told himself, following Rictor to the end of the hall where steal rooms branched off.

“This one's yours. This one's mine. That’s Tabitha’s, that’s Sally’s and that one’s Rusty’s. Got it?” Rictor demanded, pointing to each room in short succession. Although even with his duty done, he lingered, seemingly expecting something of Shatterstar. 

Cautiously Shatterstar opened the door of the room Rictor had indicated was for him. It was almost identical to Archangel’s room that he had seen briefly, and similarly bare. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that Rictor was still standing outside, arms crossed, watching him. There was a bed with plain sheets, an empty dresser, a similarly empty bookshelf and a window that looked out on the city outside and let natural light inside. Shatterstar had never had a  _ room _ before. He had never had a space reserved just for him, allowing him privacy from everyone else. Though of course Shatterstar assumed the room was littered with cameras to film him as was common place on Mojoworld. 

The thought suddenly infuriated him and he began to destroy the place. Tossing the shelf aside violently he tore the bed apart, searching furiously for hidden cameras in the furniture and the walls that he was certain excited. 

“ _ Jesus Christ _ dude what the  **hell** ?!” Rictor exclaimed when Shatterstar smashed the shelf. 

“Searching for cameras.” Shatterstar replied blankly, pulling out the drawers of the dresser and wrenching them off their track. 

“What the  _ fuck _ are you talking about?! Why would there be cameras in your room!?”

“Why wouldn’t there?” He muttered in response, though he was growing more and more desperate as his search revealed nothing. “ _ SHIP!  _ ” He shouted, scouring the place. “Where are the cameras in this room?!” He demanded of the sentient room.

**“There are no cameras placed in your room Shatterstar.”** It responded calmly and Shatterstar shook his head wildly.

“I deny you! Tell me!”

**“There are no cameras placed in your room Shatterstar.”** It repeated and he let out a ragged breath in frustration, pushing his hair back, and out of his face.

“Are you happy now?! Ship is telling the truth so fucking chill oh my god!” Rictor yelled, throwing his hands up in vexation.

Shatterstar looked back at him over his shoulder once more and thought about killing him for just a moment before he took a deep, ragged breath and regained control of his emotions. 

“Fine.” He growled, curling and uncurling his fists as his breathing slowed. He tucked a strand of fly away hair back behind his ear, and surveyed the damage he had done. He felt a strange twisting feeling in his gut as he looked at the destroyed furniture though he couldn’t name it. They had given him a space of his own and he had ruined it. He should be ashamed.

“i will fix this…” he murmured. 

**“That will not be necessary Shatterstar, I can replace it instantaneously. Please stand back.”** Ship offered in it’s light voice.

And when he did the floor fell away and replaced itself with another bare bedroom, the same as it was before he had freaked out.

“Whoa!” Julio reacted from behind him. “Is that how you clean our rooms?”

**“A magician never reveals his secrets.”** It replied playfully and Rictor snorted.

“Won’t deny that you gotta be a magician of some kind to clean Tabitha’s room.”  Rictor seemed to be on amenable terms with this ship, he even smiled when it joked, something Shatterstar hadn’t seen him do before. Which Shatterstar considered a shame, as he had a very nice smile and he told him as much. 

“You have a nice smile…” He ventured genuinely.

“What?”

“You have a nice smile.” Shatterstar repeated. 

“ _ Pah _ , sucking up to me isn’t going to make me be your friend you know.”

“I know.”

“Ugh, whatever. Just, let me show you where the bathroom is and we can be done with this.”

  
  


Shatterstar followed Julio once more down to the very end of the hallway where two rooms were marked by a simplistic figure of a man and a woman. “Boy’s. Girl’s.” Julio said briskly, pointing to each one. Shatterstar pushed the door of the “Girl’s” open and Julio yelped loudly.

“Dude what are you doing?!”

“I thought this was the one I should use. I have long hair like the figure.” He pointed to the sign and Julio groaned a long suffering groan. 

“That’s just a sign cause girls have long hair.”

“Does that make me a girl?”

“Oh my god,  _ no _ ! You’re a guy. Use the guy’s room.”

“Okay.”

He pushed the other door open, watching Julio for a reaction and he nodded exaggeratedly and rolled his eyes at him. The room was tiled and cool on his bare feet. With a line of stalls and strange ceramic fixtures on one side of the room, a bench and a corridor of lockers on the other. And a square room lined with metal contraptions of some kind was deeper inside.

“What are those?” He questioned, touching one of the dials on the wall. It was colored red and blue and was made to be turned. Curiously he twisted it to the right and before Julio could tell him not to cold water shot out of the shower head and soaked him to the bone.

He shouted in surprise and Rictor shouted too, though it quickly turned to laughter when Shatterstar turned around, red hair plastered to his face and borrowed clothing sticking to his skin uncomfortably gasping for breath

Water was a luxury on Mojoworld, a commodity tightly controlled and traded by Mojo that wasn’t wasted on slaves. The only time Shatterstar received a “shower” was when he was deemed too filthy to perform and was hosed down harshly with a powerful hose that left his skin red and raw. This cold water felt nice though, if not surprising.

“That's the shower dumbass.” Julio snorted, throwing him a towel that he easily caught.

“I see that now…” He huffed, wrapping himself in the towel ineffectively. “I ruined Archangel’s clothes… I hope he is not angry.”

“He probably doesn’t want them back.” This was probably true, but even so the wet clothes were extremely uncomfortable and began to remove them.

“Jesus dude leave your fucking pants on! Common decency, remember?!” Julio snapped, quickly turning his back on shatterstar as he peeled off his shirt. 

“But my clothes are uncomfortable.”

“Oh my god. I’m out of here.” and with that Rictor stormed out of the bathroom leaving a confused Shatterstar behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shatterstar doesn't understand human gender and thinks it's dumb. and i agree.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anachronistic references and memes and eye rolling is the language of teenagers.

It was Skids who came to his room to inform Shatterstar that it was dinner time, whatever that meant, and when she arrived, knocking softly as she entered, she found Shatterstar doing one armed handstand pushups and counting out an absurdly large number in a language she didn't understand.

“<One thousand fifty seven…>” he muttered, looking up at Sally through a curtain of his own ridiculously long red hair.

“Oh! sorry, was I interrupting?” Sally yelped, trying her best not to stare at the shirtless shatterstar, though she winced when he performed an anatomically impossible backbend to stand up straight, so it was fair to assume that her attempt not to look was going poorly.

“No. Why are you here?” He asked bluntly, using the borrowed shirt to wipe off his face.

“Uh, I was just letting you know that it’s dinner time.”

“What's that?”

“Supper?” She tried.

“Supper?” He repeated, looking more confused.

“Meal time?”

“Oh, I see.” Dinner was a ridiculous thing to call it and supper more so, but at least this place wasn’t so foreign that they didn’t have designated times to eat. 

“Yeah, X-Factor thinks we like, lack structure in our life or something so they think it’s a good idea for us all to eat dinner together. But of course  _ they’re  _ never there. They’re all out doing super hero stuff.”

“Is there not a concern that one of you will be killed for your share for the food?” He questioned, and coming from anyone else it would  _ have _ to be a joke, but Shatterstar was completely serious.

“… _ What?  _ ”

“Where i am from conflict over food can often be deadly.” 

“Well that's uh, not a problem here. There’s plenty of food to go around so you don’t have to fight anyone. Please don’t fight anyone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. But there won't be if we wait too long. Come on, let's go.”

  
  


He nodded curtly, pulling the shirt back on and following her out and down the hallway silently. This is so awkward… Sally thought to herself, but thankfully the room that had declared the dining room wasn’t far and the rest of teens were there already eating joined by Iceman. Sally sat down next to Rusty and Star sat at the other remaining seat, looking suspiciously at the food set out for him. 

“I thought you said the X-Factor did not eat with you?”

“Not all the time, but everyone else is out on a date or doing stuff, but Bobby is forever alone.”

“Hey, you made it! How do you like your room?” Bobby asks in an attempt at friendly conversation and ignoring the jab that was made his way. 

“I could not find the hidden cameras in it…” Shatterstar muttered darkly, still not taking his eyes off the food. 

“What? There aren’t any hidden cameras in your room. Or regular cameras for that matter. I know that's what you're used to on Mojoworld, but it’s different here. You can have privacy.” Shatterstar had never heard the word, but it sounded painful. 

“He fucking tossed it and practically destroyed everything.” Rictor interjected with a huff. 

“Seriously?” Iceman asked, eyebrows raised. 

“Yeah, Ship had to like recreate the whole room. He just like totally snapped for no reason.” Ric added, shooting Shatterstar a look from across the table that Shatterstar either missed or passively ignored. 

“What is this?” He finally asked, unable to determine the nature of his meal after starting at it forever minutes.

“Uh, sweet and sour pork?” Rusty replied, sharing a confused look with Skids.

“What is pork?”

“Yeah, pork, ya know, pig.” Rictor interjected.

“Why do people call it pork?”

“So we don’t feel guilty about eating pig.”

“I don’t understand.” 

“Do you guys not have pigs on- mojojojo world or whatever?” Tabitha inquired impatiently.

“No… Warriors receive daily protein and nutrient supplement tablets but if you get higher ratings in the arena additional synthesized food is provided.”

“ _ What the fuck. _ Thats busted as hell. Also, ew.” Tabitha said, saying what everyone was thinking. He wasn’t fully sure he grasped her sentiment, but he nodded in uncertain agreement.

The rest of the table was watching him now, to see if he would eat this so called pork and discomfort writhed in his gut like a serpent but he managed to quell the feeling and take a small bite. The taste  _ burned _ his mouth and he spat it out with a cough of surprise.

“Za’s vid it burns!” He gagged, his stomach feeling even more uneasy now. Like he was going to wretch. 

“Jesus dude chill!” Boom Boom snapped, but Shatterstar remained quiet, once again looking at the food distrustfully. Like he was contemplating throwing it. 

“Hey, lets go to the kitchen and see if we can find you anything else to eat.” Bobby offered, before any plates could be thrown.

 

They returned with Shatterstar holding a box of Lucky Charms ( _ Bobby’s _ Lucky Charms) while Bobby looked pained by the loss of his sugar cereal.

“Turns out he has a sweet tooth.”

“Yes, this is much better.” Shatterstar agreed, picking out the colorful marshmallows individually. 

 

An awkward silence settled over the table, awkwardness Shatterstar seemed to be largely immune to or unaware of, because he seemed to be content to sit there and eat his marshmallows intently.

  
  


“Shatterstar, I heard you speaking a different language when I came to your room and I didn’t recognize it. What was it?” Sally questioned, in another bold attempt to kickstart conversation.

“…” Shatterstar had been fairly open up until now, and had answered all of their questions with honesty, but now he looked at them all wearily. “It is the language of the Cadre Alliance. They are what make up the rebellion on my planet and the language was invented for the purpose of being able to communicate in a language that Mojo and the other spineless ones did not comprehend.”

“Wow, real creative name there.” Rictor laughed under his breath, but Shatterstar tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Seriously? Cadre Alliance? That literally just means like “group” in two different ways.”

“Truly?” He sounded genuinely surprised, and Rictor suddenly felt a little bad for laughing. 

“Uh, yeah. Cadre is latin based I think.”

“Geez, what are you Ric, some kind of walking thesaurus?” Tabitha needled and Rictor ducked his head in embarrassment.

“Sorry I actually paid attention in school, unlike some people.” He huffed. Shatterstar watched their interactions curiously. They were clearly close but the words they exchanged were often times cruel or harsh. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when Rictor noticed him staring he glared and his face seemed to flush. 

“Speaking of school!” Bobby cut in. “Warren made some calls and pulled some strings and has arranged for all of you guys to go to the fancy-pants private school he used to go to as a kid. There's a scholarship for mutants that he set up there a while, and now it’s gonna go to you guys!”

“Ugh, barf!” Tabitha said rolling her eyes.

“Hey now. This is a pretty big deal. This place is seriously top of the line, it’s one of the best schools in the country. We want you to have a relatively normal and stable life, and your education is important especially right now. Artie and Leech are going to a Special Needs school with an equally long waiting list.”

“I’m sure we’ll all fit in  _ great _ .” Rictor said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

“Seriously you guys. It’s important for people to  _ see _ mutants out in the real world doing things other than blowing buildings and stuff. You’ll be public role models.”

“Uh, yeah. About that…” Rusty started, clearing his throat. “I think i should give myself up to the Navy.” 

“ _ What _ ?!”

“No  _ way _ !”

“ _ Why _ ?!”

“Look guys… When my flame power first manifest itself I was in the navy. I hurt some people and freaked out and ran away. If X-Factor hadn’t found me I guess I’d still be running. They helped me… And now it's my turn to help other mutants!”

“I don’t see how your surrendering and going to prison will help anybody!” Sally protests, visibly upset.

“I have to show people that were just people. We have the same rights— and duties— as everybody else. But now there's this law— the mutant registration act— that tries to force mutants to register with the government… That says we’re dangerous weapons that uncle sam has to keep track of. I think it’s a bad law. I’ll surrender to the Navy… I did go AWOL after all, but I wont sign their blasted registration papers.” 

Sally seemed to grow more and more upset with each word, biting down on her lip to keep it from wavering.

“Hey, it’s not like I want to leave you… But we’re famous now. I have a chance to focus that publicity on that rotten law… and maybe help us win this one in court. Maybe I can use what happened to me to make life better for mutants everywhere.”

“I think that's really brave of you Rusty.” Bobby said, clapping a supportive hand on his shoulder. The other teens seemed to disagree, but it was clear Rusty had made up his mind.

“I think that's bullshit!” Rictor retorted, shoving out of his chair and storming out of the room. Tabitha looked at them, then at Rictor, then back at them before shrugging and following him out.

“I’m done eating… So I’m going to excuse myself now.” Sally said, her voice tight and quickly stood up and practically ran out of the room, Rusty chasing behind her with a shout. “Hey, wait Sally!” Until it was only Iceman and Shatterstar remaining. 

“What is school?” He finally asked.

 

—  —  —

 

Apparently the clothing he was currently wearing was not suitable, so X-Factor had contracted Archangel’s tailor and arranged a fitting for Star.

“He helped me hide my wings for years and he’s the most skilled tailor I’ve ever met.” Warren explained to Shatterstar on their way to meet the man, driving in one of the many cars Warren owned. Tabitha had invited herself along, claiming that they never got a chance to go into town and Rictor had come along as well since he and Tabitha seemed to be attached at the hip these days. Warren allowed it but only on the condition that they got fitted for their Phillips Academy uniforms while they were there.

Sally and Rusty were still “working things out”  when they left. Working things out in the way that Rusty had made a joke that he was going to need fitting for a prison jumpsuit and not a school uniform in an attempt to lighten the situation, but it had backfired on him and devolved into another heated argument. 

The driver stopped in front of a monstrous building that almost seemed to scrape the sky. This city was filled with them, all packed together obscuring the sky. The urban centers of Mojoworld were like this but more extreme, and anxious pins and needles itched along Shatterstar’s skin as he looked up at them.

“What? Do they not have skyscrapers back where you’re from?” Rictor asked, sensing Shatterstar’s discomfort.

“No… They have too many.” He muttered, following Archangel as he walked briskly inside, not stopping or waiting for his wards or listen to whatever pleasantries the driver had to say to him. 

“Don’t touch anything. Most of the stuff here is worth more money than you’ll see in your entire life. I am talking to  _ you _ Tabitha.” He commented without looking at them, somehow  _ knowing  _ that that she had been about to touch the bizarre modern art piece on display in the lobby.

People stared at them outright as they walked through the building, and Rictor did his best to hide behind the far more colorful members of the group. Something he was starting to notice was you got stared at a lot when you went anywhere with X-Factor; especially Archangel or Beast. Shatterstar was no different, with bright red hair that came all the way down to his lower back, and a  _ face tattoo _ that practically screamed  _ look at me.  _ He and Tabitha, by comparison, seemed practically normal. Though they still felt equally out of place, and not just because they were mutants.

Shatterstar outright refused to ride in the elevator to Archangel’s extreme impatience so they were forced to take the stairs up thirty eight flights of stairs. Tabitha and Rictor ditched them to take the elevator after one floor and were waiting for them when they arrived a painfully long while later.

“Ugh, thank god you’re here. I swear a couple more minutes and these guys were gonna call security. They’ve been like, side eyeing us the whole time.”

“Maybe you should have walked with us then.” Warren replied in what might have been a joke.

“Hah! No waaay. I’ve already gotten my daily work out, thanks.”

“It was not that many stairs.” Shatterstar commented, not even out of breath from the exertion.

“It still took for-fucking-ever.” Boom Boom shot back, smacking at his ponytail as she walked by  making him jump.

“Do not touch my hair…” He growls, bending downinto her space so that he could be sure she heard her.

“ _ Sheesh _ , learn how to take a joke man! Also. Like, personal space please.”

“Tabitha. When someone says they do not want to be touched, you listen to them.” Warren muttered to them before turning back to the front desk attendant who was handling their appointment.

“Gentlemen, down this hall if you will, and the fitting room for the young lady is right this way.” The attendant said pleasantly, not even batting an eye over the fact that one of them was blue and another was over 6 feet tall. “We’ve historically helped generations of Phillips Academy students fit their uniforms and we’re pleased to see that tradition continue.”

“I could get used to this.” Tabitha laughed as separated down different hallways. 

This was a familiar environment to Shatterstar. He was fitted for new costumes and armor regularly when he was a gladiator and he always hated it. Hated being touched by unfamiliar hands, and having his hair pulled and brushed, and being poked and pricked by needles as thread was pulled through his skin to sew the new outfits onto him. Dread had been building in him since the moment Archangel mentioned a Tailor, but if this was the price he had to pay to be on earth and away from Mojoworld, he would do it. At least he was prepared for what was to come, and steeled himself as they walked down the mirrored hall.

  
  


There was a podium in the center of the room surrounded by mirrors, and individual fitting rooms lined the walls. A dark skinned man with a warm smile and dressed in an incredibly fine suit waited for them and greeted Warren with open arms. He had to be the first person Rictor had seen Archangel hug. Even the other members of X-Factor he kept at an arms length, but he allowed this man to wrap his arms around with with a tender pat on the back.

“Shannon. It is good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you Warren! Though I see your pallet has changed from a summer to a winter. You should have told me!” He joked with good nature. Rictor was sure that Archangel was going to take his head off (literally) for that. Instead he  _ chuckled _ . Warren “the darkness of my soul is blacker than the night” Worthington actually laughed. Unreal.

Rictor gawked and Shatterstar drew his arms over his chest uncomfortably, but when the tailor spotted them they were both pulled into a full bear hug as well.

“These must be our new clients. Welcome! My, they were not kidding when they said you were tall.” Shatterstar just nodded mutely and Rictor looked at him curiously. He didn’t exactly know the guy, but he knew enough to know he had been acting weird all day. Probably future shock or something. Ric had felt the same way when he first arrived in America, so could sympathize. 

“Hey, don’t worry man. I mean, look at it this way. At least now you’ll have some shirts that won't have holes in the back.” Rictor offered in a quiet voice while Warren and Sharon caught up. Shatterstar looked at him curiously.

“I have no preference in what I wear.” Shatterstar responded, staring down at his hands.

“Yeah, me neither.”

“Then why did you come? You were not required to.”

“It’s nice to get out.”

Shatterstar gave him a look of utter disbelief, but was led up to the podium by Shannon before he could voice he doubts.He fidgeted and shifted uncomfortably as the tailor circled him like a predator and its prey. He glanced to Archangel who looked uninterested, and then to Rictor who looked… Something. Shatterstar couldn’t identify the expression on his face, it was something close to pity or consternation. 

He lifted his arms when he was told to, and steeled himself for the pain. What came instead was a plastic tape of some kind was wrapped around his waist, and then his hips and shoulders. He opened one eye, then the second, trying to understand what the tailor was doing. There were markings on the yellow tape and he was recording them onto a notepad. Curious. Fabric was draped over his shoulders and he flinched when he saw the pins, but they were simply inserted into the fabric and he wasn’t poked even once. 

“So, you’d like a full wardrobe for this young man? Ten pairs of pants and fifteen shirts.” Shannon asked, turning to archangel with one eyebrow raised.

“Yes, as well as a Phillips Academy uniform.”

“That can be easily done.” Shannon agreed easily, making a note to himself.

“And, actually, he’ll probably need a new costume.” Warren added thoughtfully, and Rictor cast a panicked look his way.

“Excellent! I was hoping for something a little more interesting. In the X-Terminator style as well?”

“No, something unique. And you can stop looking at me like that Julio, Shannon is the one who designs all our costumes. He can be trusted.”

“Seriously?!”

“Thats right! Those bold X designs were my creation. I’m fairly fond of them, but I can’t say it’s the choice I would have made now.”

“They work fine.”

“You don’t even wear yours anymore!”

“It was destroyed when I was abducted by apocalypse.”

“You could have called me, I would have made you another.”

“The one I have now works fine.”

“It’s hideous! Those pink lines? What were you thinking? It also doesn’t fit the visual theme of the rest of the team.”

“I’ll be sure to tell apocalypse next time I see him.” He monotoned and Shannon huffed in irritation.

“You’re impossible. Alright, you can step down now Shatterstar. Your turn Julio.” He said as he finished taking the measurements of ‘Star’s lengthy legs and set the pinned fabric aside. Shatterstar went to stand by Archangel rubbing his arms absently, still shocked by how easy that had been. Julio didn’t take long either, and after that they were asked questions on what style they wanted their uniforms in, such as what kind of collars or sleeves they wanted and what buttons they preferred. Shatterstar had no opinion so he just copied whatever Rictor said, which seemed to annoy the other boy. But within no time they were on their way out of the building, they even convinced ‘Star to take the elevator down after Archangel threatened to fly him down instead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rusty's whole speech was taken directly from X-Terminaors #1. It was one of Rusty's best moments and he such an overlooked character, so I'm trying to give everyone moments in this fic even if it's shatterstar centered.

**Author's Note:**

> I've always found this era of comics delightful, especially the first issue of X-Terminators, and just Shatterstar just really needs a narrative chance to be, ya know, a person. This is largely an excuse to write awkward teenage romance and shenanigans and Drama, but if you like it please let me know and I will try and continue it.


End file.
